America should actively pursue policies that isolate unfriendly and undemocratic regimes while empowering and strengthening U.S. allies that share our vision of a peaceful and prosperous world. To that end, I am a strong supporter of Israel because the U.S.-Israel alliance is critical to the national security interests of both of our nations, especially in the volatile Middle East. Rogue regimes and lawless nations should not be coddled or appeased. I continue to push for the imposition and enforcement of sanctions and other penalties against nations empowering violent extremists, brutalizing their own people, and rejecting the basic rules governing international behavior. Countries such as Iran, Syria, and North Korea cannot be left unchecked in their development of illegal weapons programs or their flagrant abuses of human rights.

As a political refugee, I also understand the inherent human dignity of all individuals. The United States has a responsibility to speak for those who are silenced by oppression and live in the darkness of tyranny. I will continue to be a champion of human rights, religious freedom, and democracy, and a fierce opponent of dictatorships in Cuba, Venezuela, and throughout Latin America that subvert and erode democratic institutions and the human spirit.

For more information about my efforts on the Foreign Affairs Committee click here.